Solid grouting bar and hanger element for setting slabs and method



Jan. 23, 1962 J. MURPHY 3,017,725

SOLID GROUTING BAR AND HANGER ELEMENT FOR SETTING SLABS AND METHOD FiledMarch 27, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet l FIG. 5 FIGA F165 INVENTOR. JOHN L- MURPHY AT TO RM E-Y Jan. 23, 1962 J. L. MURPHY 3,017,725 soun GROUTING BARAND HANGER ELEMENT FOR SETTING SLABS AND METHOD Filed March 27, 1957 5Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR. JOHN L. MURPHY ATTO RQEY Jan. 23, 1962 J. L.MURPHY 3,017,725

SOLID GROUTING BAR AND HANGER ELEMENT FOR SETTING SLABS AND METHOD FiledMarch 27, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENT FIG. 12 JOHN L. MU HY Jan. 23,1962 J. L. MURPHY 3,017,725

SOLID GROUTING BAR AND HANGER ELEMENT FOR SETTING SLABS AND METHOD 5Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed March 27, 1957 FIG. 16

0 H Q n.. n n:

INVEN TOR.

Joa-m L. MURPHY FIG. 17

AT TO RNEY Jan. 23, 1962 J: L. MURPHY 3,017,725

SOLID GROUTING BAR AND HANGER ELEMENT FOR SETTING SLABS AND METHOD FiledMarch 27, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 mvamcm. JOHN L." muggy \QA-r-rolzmay3,017,725 SOLID GROUTING BAR AND HANGER ELEMENT vFQIR SETTING SLABS ANDMETHOD .Iohn Larry Murphy, 101% ,SaLeavitt St, Chicago, III. .FiiedMar.27, 1957, SeraNo. 648,916 7 (Ilaims. (CI. su -'41s) This inventionrelates to a pre-formed solid grouting and hanger bar element adaptedfor use in water and weatherproof assembly-of straight sided slabs ofbuilding material at least the adjacent peripheral edges of which aregrooved or mortised.

More particularly this invention is directed to a solution to theproblem of laying up walls of slabs of dense building materialsincluding marble, glass, terra-cotta, vitreous tile,stone, etc., toprovide a weather and waterproof wall of improved durability as to thesupporting back wall, of enhanced physical appearance and requiringpractically'no maintenance, as periodic tuck-pointing, usually required,is done away with.

The problem heretofore met in facing building walls and exterior andinterior walls of structures with extremely dense structural substances,illustratively granite and structural glass, has been the problem offool-proof lay-up in the first instance, and water penetration into andthrough the mortar between adjacent slabs. Water so entering, whensubject to repeated freezing and thawing,

so deteriorates the nature of the supporting wall that slabs fall offand the supporting structure soon has to be rebuilt at considerableexpense. Danger of heavy slabs falling into-the street from heightsmakes rebuilding mandatory. Walls of granite, glass, terra-cotta, etc.,are extremely attractive and the rectangular building elementsthemselves are practically ageless. It is believed that lack of adurable, strong, weatherproof method of hanging such facings to overlayless aesthetic load-bearing supporting means with an attractive facinghas practically reduced volume use of these otherwise'desirable buildingproducts to a practical standstill.

It is the general object of this invention to prove a solid grouting andhanger, preferably constructed of non- ,corroding load-bearingstructural metal, adapted for use portion of the solid groutingelementto a supporting structure.

The mode of achievingthese and other related objects will be :made moreclear as the description of practical embodiments of my inventionare'developed in conjunction with the attached drawings in which:

FIGURE :1 is -a front view of :alfragmentarysection of a wall face ofrectilinearslabs in assembly with the solid :grouting'bar and hangerelement. of the invention in place.

FIGURE 2 is an isometric'view-of a rectilinear slab of building materialas is essential to the ends 'of this invention.

FIGURE 3 is a front view of a fragmentary section of a wall face ofrectilinear slabs, as'in FIGURE 2, inassem- 'bly with the solid groutingbar and hanger elementin a modified form.

FIGURE 4 is aplan view of the form of the invention as illustrated inFIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of the form'ofthe invention as illustratedin'FIGURE 1.

FIGURE '6 is one modification of a sectional view through VI-VI ofFIGURE 4.

FIGURE 7 is also a modification of the sectional form as viewed'throug-ha section of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 8 is a similar sectional view as described for FIGURES 6 and 7,illustrating a preferred sectional View of the solid grouting'bar andhanger of the invention.

FIGURE 9 is a side view of the'invention as illustrated in FIGURE 4.

FIGURE '10 is similar to FIGURE 9, and is a side=view of one of themodifications of the invention.

FIGURE 11 is a fragmentary sectional view -alongthe line XI--XI ofFIGURE '3.

FIGURE 12 is a side view of FIGURE 6.

FIGURE 13 is an additional front view of a fragmentary sectionof awall-face of rectilinear slabs-in assembly detailing a further featureof the invention.

FIGURE 14'is an enlarged front view of the solidbar grouting and hangerelement in assembly as shown in FIGURE 13.

FIGURE 15 'is a sectional view through FIGURE '14.

FIGURE 16 is a front view of a fragmentary wall section detailing thejuncture of the rectilinear slabs of FIG- URE 2 with the coping stonescapping aparapet wall.

FIGURE 17 is a sectional view substantially along the line XVII-XVII ofFIGURE 1.6 with one coping stone removed.

FIGURE 18 is a plan view in reduced scale of FIG. '1

showing assembly of the solid rectilinear slabsof building materialswith a generally cruciform 'solid grouting and hanger element incombination with the solid bar grouting elementof FIG. 4.

FIGURE 19 is a plan view of :the generally-cruciform solid grouting andhanger element as adapted 'for random assembly of rectilinear slabs.

FIGURE 20 is a plan view-of the preferred cruciform grouting and hangerelement as adapted for regular assembly of rectilinear slabs for thepurposes of this invention.

FIGURE 21 is a side view of the :element :of

'URE 20.

Referring more particularly .to the drawings, a regular assembly ofslabs of dense building materials 1 having their peripheral edges 3grooved ormortised as 'at 2 is shown in FIGURE 1 held in spacedarrangement .by ,a plurality of solid grouting and hanger bar elementsS,the

load supporting structurally rigid and ,not manually bendable oppositelydisposed primary vpair of legs 6 and 7 of load created by the assemblyslabs, and to increase the length of path that moisture must travel inorder to pass from the face of the slabs to the rear side of the slabsand into the supporting wall behind the facing created by the slabassembly.

The solid grouting and hanger element 5 illustrated in assembly inFIGURE 1 is cut at each end on exactly a 45 angle to form equilateraltriangles 12 and 13 at each oppositely disposed end of the solidgrouting bar. The equilateral triangle so formed has the secondary legsat the apices thereof. The length of the bar element 5 is determined bythe width of leg 11 and the dimensions of the building slabs to beerected as can be seen from FIGURE 1. The length of the solid groutingelement is such that when it is in assembly with elements of similarcross-section, the assembly is at least as long as the mortised slabedge.

Referring momentarily to the view along section line VIVI, a number ofmodifications of the invention may be considered and made clear. FIGURE8 illustrates a preferred modification in cross section of the solidgrouting bar and hanger element 5 and 10. Note the two pairs of legs 22and 14, and 20 and 21 each pair of which is at right angles to the otherpair and each leg of which is of load-bearing dimension. Oppositelydisposed legs 20 and 21 serve as tenons, fitting into the mortises inthe peripheral grooves 2 of slabs 1. Oppositely disposed legs 22 and 14may determine the space between adjacent slabs in assembly, and are ofload-bearing dimension. In use, legs 22 and 14 aid in maintaining theslabs parallel to the supporting wall during construction. Extendingrearwardly from the solid grouting element is an additional tertiary leg65 of yieldable or manually bendable dimension, adapted to be formed onthe job to be fastened by a variety of means to load-bearing supportingwalls, etc. The yieldable leg 65 is preferably made of expanded metallath as illustrated in FIGURE 12, and may be scalloped as is shown inFIGURE 9. The yieldable non-rigid and manually bendable leg or anchorplate 65 may also be a light gauge steel plate (as in FIGURE 15) and maybe stamped with holes 64 as illustrated in FIGURE 9. The yieldablerearwardly extending leg may also be an occasional rectangular stampedsheet, discontinuous along the rear side of the solid grouting bar asshown in FIGURES l0 and 17 or continuous as shown in FIGURE 12.

The legs in the section of the solid bar grouting element and the unitwhich combines therewith constituting generally a solid cruciformgrouting element may be ar ranged as shown in FIGURES 6, 7, 8, 9, 10,11, 15, 19, and 21 although FIGURES 8, 9, 10, ll, 20 and 21 arepreferred as stronger and more Weather resistant modifications.

FIG. 19 details a modification used in random assembly of the generallycruciform solid grouting having three arms 66, 67 and 68 of rigid,structural, not manually bendable and load bearing dimension lying inthe same plane, of the same width and of the same cross arm endsectional pattern. Two of the arms 66 and 68 are oppositely disposed anda third arm 67 is at right angles to the oppositely disposed pair. Themodification 15 of FIG- URE 20 has four arms of load bearing dimension16, 17, 18 and 19 having two pairs of oppositely disposed arms 16 and 18and 17 and 19 at right angles to one another all arms identified of thesame width and thickness.

In the forms of the invention illustrated in FIGURES 19 and 20, there issuperimposed upon the front and rear face and axially aligned with eachof said first arms a corresponding second set of arms of diminished butnonethe-less, rigid structural, not manually bendable and load bearingwidth identified as 71, 72 and 81 in FIGURE 19 and 73, 74, 76 and 77 inFIGURE 20. A like set of arms is on the reverse face of the elements ofFIGURES 19 and 20.

FIGURE 21 illustrates a side view of FIGURE 20 showing the like set ofarms 78, 79 and 82 on the reverse face of the cruciform grouting 15.

When the slabs and the solid grouting bar tenons are in approximatefinal position, the solid grouting bars are wetted or struck with theorganic caulk along the apices of the meeting sides of the equilateraltriangles 12 and 13 and the four units brought into contact to form across as shown at 15a and 16a. Excess caulk is wiped off to give a seal,yet provide sufficient tolerance between adjacent grouting elements 5when they meet as at 16a to take up the expansion and contraction of themetal grouting bar 5.

In a preferred assembly utilizing the solid grouting and hanger elementof this invention as illustrated in FIG- URES 3, 4, and 18 the solid bargrouting and hanger 10 is cut to determine its length at right angles toits longitudinal axis. In the assembly shown in FIGURES 3, l8, l9 and 20a special solid grouting and hanger element of generally cruciform shapein both its plan and section (see FIGURES 18, 19 and 20) identified as15 is used in conjunction with solid grouting and hanger bar 10. Inlaying up a plurality of slabs I as in FIGURES 3, l6 and 18 in both ahorizontal and vertical dimension to create a weatherproof wall facingof, for example, granite slabs the following method is used.

The mortised edges 3 of the slab as in 1 are wetted or filled withorganic caulk. An appropriate length of solid grouting 1G is cut atright angles so that its length and the length of the arms 16, 17, 18and 19 of the cruciform element 15 fit together as shown in FIGURE 3.Some slight gap should be considered for expansion and contraction ofthe metal bar elements. Assume for illustration that slabs 1a and 1b arein place along with solid grouting bar 10a cut as shown. The tophorizontal mortises of slabs 1a and 1b are wetted or struck with organiccaulk and the cruciform element 15 (whose cross arms 16, 17, 18 and 19have cross-arm end-sections as illustrated for the solid bar section inFIGURE 8) arm end 18 is pushed downwardly sliding oppositely disposedlegs 20 and 21 between adjacent blocks 1a and 1b and in the mortisesadjacent thereof until arm 18 contacts the upper end of solid bargrouting 10a. A rearwardly extending leg of yieldable dimension, similarto leg 65 in FIGURE 12, is bent upwardly at its free end and fastened tothe supporting wall. (A gun capable of firing studs into concrete isuseful.) Solid grouting and hanger bar element 10 in FIGURE 4 (shown as10a, 10b, 10c and 10d in FIGURE 3), having a section as shown in FIGURE8 are oriented so that the legs 20c and 10d are set in the mortise ofslabs 1b and 1a respectively. After the solid grouting elements 10c and10d are snugly in place the yieldable rearwardly extending legs similarto leg 65 of FIGURE 12 are bent over at a angle and permanently fastenedto the supporting means rearwardly of the facing under erection.

Edges 3 and mortises 2 of slabs 1c and 1d are struck with caulk and themortise of slab 1d brought home over leg (tenon) 21d of solid groutingbar element 10d. Leg 20b of solid grouting element 10b is then set intothe mortise of slab 1d and the yieldable rearwardly extending leg(corresponding to 65 in FIGURE 12) bent over at its free end away fromslab 1d is fastened by firing nails through it into the leg end and thesupporting wall. Thereafter, the mortise 2 of slab 1c is brought downover leg 21c of solid grouting 10c and slid toward slab 1d to fit itsvertical mortise adjacent solid grouting 10b over leg 21b, and theadjacent tenon-like legs of the cruciform hanger 15 in position to enterboth horizontal and vertical mortise 2 of slab 1c. The process ofassembly, as described, is repeated in both a horizontal and verticalplane to complete facing the wall with a water impermeable solid facingof dense building material. Leg 22 and leg 14 of the solid groutingelement 10 act as a solid grouting to space the slabs, both in theirhorizontal and vertical courses. When the face of leg 22 is of burnishedmetal, unusually attractive combinations and wall design are possible.

In some instances it is desirable that the joint between the solid bargrouting element 100 and arm 17 of the cruciform solid grouting element15 be further protected from the potential of moisture entering thecrack essential to expansion between adjacent ends of solid bargrouting. In other cases, where the slabs of building material may bequite long, joints between adjacent solid bar grouting elements as alsoneed additional protection from the weather. This is provided by a clipelement 30 shown in in place over the meeting ends of two solid groutingbar elements 10 in FIGURE 14. FIGURE 15, in section, details clip 30 asa thin sheet formed so that its peripheral section is of similar contourto that of the cross-section of solid grouting element '10. FIGURE 13details clips 34) in place when the cruciform element 15 and the solidgrouting bar 10 are used in combination. :In using the clip 30, it isslid over the one end of one arm of the-cruciform element 15, and theadjacent solid bar 10, in turn, slid into open end of clip 30. Clipsmust be positioned between the solid bar ends 10 or bar 10 and cross 15arms 16, 17, 18 and 19 before the weight of the slabs are allowed topress against clip 30 ends 31, otherwise assembly is most diflicult.Once all slabs are in position as shown in FIGURE 13 movement of clips30 are most difiicult if not impossible. By means of use of clips 30over the meeting and mating joints the potential of moisture gettingthrough to the supporting wall is completely eliminated and no caulkjoints are then visible.

A specialized form of the invention is detailed in FIG- URES l0 and 11wherein the solid grouting element 40 is notched along its length in thetwo oppositely disposed legs 42 and '43 which serve as tenons. Notches44, assure flow of the semi-fluid caulk freely about the solid groutingelement 40. Both flow of caulk and spacing of the tenonacting legs 42and 43 is aided by the buttons 4 5 which are pressed into legs 42 and 43in alternating and opposite direction. Seating of the tenons or legs '42and 43 is thereby simplified and less play is faced in the joint duringas sembly than is otherwise necessary.

A further application of the invention is detailed in FIGURES l6 and 17which illustrate its use in setting coping stones upon the top of aparapet wall 63 in a more or less conventional building construction. Asthe method is particularly adaptable when remodeling older structureswith new facings, as is one principal intent of the invention, thisadditional improvement at the same time is also desirable in order toeliminate the moisture problem from faulty grouting between copingstones.

Of greatest explanatory value is FIGURE 17 which is a sectional viewalong the line XVII-XVII of FIGURE 16 showing the top course of solidslabs as in FIGURE 2 in place, utilizing the herein described inventionas said slabs meet with the coping stones topping supporting masonrywall 63. A groove or mortise 50 extends horizontally parallel with and afew inches rearwardly of the front face of coping stones 51 and 52 alongand upwardly in stone base 53. This groove or mortise 50 accepts theupwardly extending tenon or leg 70 of the cruciform solid groutingelements of three arms 55 of the type shown in FIGURE 19. Each adjacentend of the coping stones 51 and 52 are further grooved or mortised, asillustrated in mortise 60 so that adjacent mortises in coping stone ends75 and 80 are mirror images of one another. A solid grouting bar havinga cross-section as shown in FIGURE 6 is fabricated so that the legs 57and 58 thereof fit into the oppositely disposed (mirror image) mortises60 of adjacent coping stones 51 and 52 ends 75 and 80. Leg '59 facesoutwardly and upwardly to provide a solid grouting and spacing elementbetween coping stones 51 and 52. Leg 58 sets into groove 60 of end 75 ofcoping stone 51. The area indicated as 57 delineates the correspondingtenon-like leg 57, with coping stone 52 removed. To avoid possibility ofshifting due to high winds catching under the stone (or maliciousmischief) a leg 65 rearwardly extending from the solid grouting barelement in mortise 60 is extended and forced into a void left in theparapet wall during construction the void freshly filled with mortar ina plastic state prior to setting the coping stones. Additionally, thegroove 60 and corresponding mirror groove in the adjacent coping stoneend are wetted with an organic caulk prior to assembly of legs 57 and 58of the solid grouting element into the coping stone end grooves ormortises. The holes 64 of and in the yieldable anchor plate 65 when setin the said fresh mortar at the time of laying up the coping stonesprovide excellent bonding with the parapet wall 63 itself.

As can be visualized from the sectional view of FIG- URE 17, no matterhow hard the wind and rain may blow, moisture is excluded from enteringthrough faulty seal in the coping stones or from the installed slabs offacing material immediately adjacent thereto.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

l. A combined solid metal grouting and hangar unit adapted for use inwater-tight and strain-free assembly of a plurality 'of veneer-like,rectangular facing slabs whose edges are fully mortised and which slabsare non-load bearing in spaced apart relation and assembled from a loadbearing wall structure; said grouting unit comprising a grouting stripof cruciform cross-section and load-bearing non-yielding, structurallyrigid dimension; the vertical pair of oppositely disposed legs of saidcruciform crosssection of such width as to be slideably insertable astenons in adjacent mortises of adjacent slabs when assembled and thedepth thereof to substantially fill said mortises, and a horizontal pairof oppositely disposed legs of said cruciform section integral with saidvertical pair of legs, the thickness of the horizontal legs definingsubstantially the distance apart of adjacent slabs in assembly; thehorizontal faces of the horizontal pair of legs and the vertical facesof the vertical pair of legs and the length of said grouting stripforming an extended and complete seal between the front and rear facesof said slabs in assembly; and extending outwardly from the rearwardface of the horizontal leg of said cruciform grouting strip a manuallybendable anchor and plate hanger means the extension of said anchor andplate hanger being such that the free end thereof may be readilydeformed for attachment to loadbearing supporting wall means, to permitdifferential shifting by way of settlement of the load bearing wallwithout transfer of the full strain thereof to the assembled facingslabs of the non-load bearing wall, and to permit slap assembly with thefree end of said anchor means fixed in the load bearing wall.

2. The product of claim 1, wherein the manually bendable anchor andplate hanger means is expanded metal lath.

3. The metal grouting and hanger unit of claim 1, wherein the length ofthe metal grouting strip is in excess of the mortised slab edge and eachend thereof terminates in an equilateral triangle with the horizontallydisposed legs at the apices thereof.

4. The product of claim 1, wherein the manually bendable anchor andplate hanger means is a length of perforated metal.

5. A solid metal grouting and hanger adapted to use with associatedelements of similar section in water-tight assembly of a plurality ofveneer-like rectangular, nonload bearing edge-mortised slabs in spacedapart relation from a load bearing wall which comprises a load hearingstructure of generally cruciform pattern in both its plan and cross-armend section; the plan thereof comprising four first arms lying in thesame plane each arm thereof of the same width and thickness, a firstpair and a second pair each arm of each pair of which is oppositelydisposed and the first pair at right angles to the second pair of arms;centrally superimposed on both the front face and rear face of saidcruciform plan a second and third set of cross arms in axial alignmentsaid arms of the same length, but of diminished width, as compared withthe arms of the first described cruciform plan; the cruciform cross-armend section of each of said arms comprising in turn four legs, a firstpair and a second pair each leg of each pair of which is oppositelydisposed and the first pair at right angles to the second pair of legs,the oppositely disposed first pair of legs adapted to be inserted astenons between the mortised edges of adjacent slabs and the second pairof legs adapted substantially to occupy and define the space between thenon-mortised front and rear edges of adjacent slabs when said slabs andherein defined hanger elements are in final assembly; all of said armsand legs of non-yielding, structurally rigid, load bearing dimension;and substantially along the center line of one pair of rearwardlyextending legs and substantially at right angles to the plane of saidarms attached and extending rearwardly from said line of said rigidcruciform structure a manually bendable anchor plate means of yieldabledimension of sufficient length to suspend the load-bearing cruciformstructure at a spaced distance from and its free end to load-bearingsupporting means.

6. The product of claim 5, wherein the anchor plate means is a length ofperforated metal.

7. The product of claim 5, wherein the perforated metal is expandedmetal lath.

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